Democracy Now! Blog

In one of his first public events since being held under house arrest, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange appeared in London Saturday for a conversation with Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, moderated by Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman. They discussed the impact of WikiLeaks on world politics, the release of the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs, and Cablegate — the largest trove of classified U.S. government records in history. [includes rush transcript]

Obama administration officials have told the New York Times that senior officials of the Pakistani spy agency, the ISI, ordered the killing of Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad of the Asia Times in an effort to silence him. One U.S. official said, “Every indication is that this was a deliberate, targeted killing that was most likely meant to send shock waves through Pakistan’s journalist community and civil society." Ali Dayan Hasan, the head of Human Rights Watch in Pakistan, first tied the ISI to Shahzad’s killing. Hasan recently spoke to Democracy Now! in his most extended interview in the U.S. press.

Democracy Now! producer Aaron Maté files exclusive audio reports on board the Gaza-bound "Audacity of Hope". The ship set sail from Greece at approximately 9:30 a.m. EDT but was soon stopped by Greek authorities. Listen to Aaron’s reports as the scene develops.

In part two of our conversation with journalist Christian Parenti, he discusses what the meltdown of three nuclear reactors in Japan means for the expansion of nuclear power in the United States, and how the focus on atomic power diverts funds from the transition to clean technology. [includes rush transcript]

Read the first chapter of "Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence," by award-winning writer Christian Parenti, who was interviewed today on Democracy Now! In the book he explores how, from Africa to Asia, extreme weather brought on by global warming is unleashing cascades of unrest and violence.

Think of “food terrorism” and what do you see? Diabolical plots to taint items on grocery-store shelves? If you are Buddy Dyer, the mayor of Orlando, Fla., you might be thinking of a group feeding the homeless and hungry in one of your city parks. That is what Dyer is widely quoted as calling the activists with the Orlando chapter of Food Not Bombs—“food terrorists.” In the past few weeks, no less than 21 people have been arrested in Orlando, the home of Disney World, for handing out free food in a park.

The British peace activist Brian Haw has died at the age of 62. For the past decade Haw lived and slept outside the Houses of Parliament in London to protest against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Democracy Now! spoke with Brian Haw in March 2006, in Parliament Square.

In part two of our interview with Human Rights Watch Asia senior researcher Ali Dayan Hasan, he describes the work Asia Times reporter Syed Saleem Shahzad was doing when he was kidnapped, murdered and tortured in May, allegedly by state security forces. He also discusses the impact of drones, U.S. aid, and the case of CIA contractor Raymond Davis on Pakistani attitudes toward the United States. [includes rush transcript]

New details are emerging that indicate the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan is far worse than previously known, with three of the four affected reactors experiencing full meltdowns. Meanwhile, in the U.S., massive flooding along the Missouri River has put Nebraska’s two nuclear plants, both near Omaha, on alert.

Under Mubarak, state-owned media was a propaganda arm of the government, parroting party dogma while dismissing public criticism and political opposition. After his ouster, the struggle for press freedom is far from over. Democracy Now!’s Sharif Abdel-Kouddous reports from Cairo for The Nation magazine.

Tonight’s debate between Republican presidential candidates marks the first national debate appearance of Mitt Romney, former MA governor. Meanwhile, fellow Mormon and former Utah governor, Jon Huntsman, has yet to announce and will skip the debate. Democracy Now! spoke with former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson about the political record of Hunstman and Romney. The two became "great friends" when they worked together on the 2002 Winter Olympics in New York City. [includes rush transcript]

On August 2, the U.S. government is expected to reach its $14.3 trillion borrowing limit. Democrats want to curb the federal deficit by pushing for new taxes and eliminating many tax loopholes, while Republicans have called for steep spending reductions but no new taxes. For more, Democracy Now! spoke with Sally Kohn, author of a recent USA Today op-ed titled "Don’t Believe the Hype About U.S. Debt." [includes rush transcript]

The 2011 U.N. High-Level meeting on AIDS kicked off on Wednesday, June 8, in New York, with more than 30 world leaders attending to discuss the progress and future of the global AIDS response. Outside, hundreds of AIDS activists rallied to call on the world leaders to fulfill their commitment from the 2006 meeting: providing universal access to treatment for the 15 million AIDS patients in critical need. Democracy Now! was there. [includes rush transcript]

We continue our interview with Annie Jacobsen, author of the new book, "Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top Secret Military Base." Jacobsen describes the disk-shaped A-12 Oxcart spy plane developed at the Nevada military base, her interview with the plane’s pilot, and discusses how the CIA handled reports of UFO sightings. [includes rush transcript]

The media has been awash with New York Congressmember Anthony Weiner’s string of electronic sexual peccadillos. Punctuating the sensationalism, and between the TV commercials from the oil, gas, coal and nuclear industries, are story after story of extreme weather events. Herein lies the real scandal: Why aren’t the TV meteorologists, with each story, following the words “extreme weather” with another two, “climate change”? We need modern-day eco-Paul (or Paula) Revere to rouse the populace to this imminent threat.

Democracy Now! speaks with a credentialed journalist who was arrested Monday as she reported on thousands of Wisconsin workers marching in Madison, the latest protest in the "gentle uprising" against Gov. Walker’s union-busting bill that has been underway since February. [includes rush transcript]

In part two of our interview about a new report declaring the so-called "war on drugs" a failure, Dr. Gabor Maté notes that "where violent suppression of drug activity increases, so does killings and violence related to drug use." [includes rush transcript]

A stunning indictment has been handed down in Cincinnati, focusing attention again on police killings of people of color. This is a start for accountability and justice. Cleveland should pay attention. As the thousand people gathered there last weekend said clearly, “Black Lives Matter.”

Editions

Democracy Now!

Follow

Support Independent News

Democracy Now! is a 501(c)3 non-profit news organization. We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. Please do your part today.